Succulents and More™

According to estimates I found online, 20% to 30% of the documented 270+ agave species remain solitary throughout their life, while 70% to 80% produce offsets (or pups) — vegetative clones that emerge either directly from the base of the mother plant or at the end of underground runners connected to it. In most offsetting species, the pups pop up very close to the parent plant: Agave lophantha ‘Quadricolor’ with lots of pups However, some agaves do this: Agave parryi var. huachucensis ‘Excelsior’ Their pups pop up at a distance from the mother plant. The Agave parryi var. huachucensis ‘Excelsior’ you see in the photo above has both offsets that cling tightly to the mother and others that travel quite a way. The pup in the middle circle is about 1 foot from the mother plant, the one in top circle almost 4 feet (!) away. In fact, the pup in the top circle emerged not far from a different agave ( Agave parrasana ‘Fireball’) on the far side of the mound: Agave parrasana ‘Fireball’ at the...

My Mangave ‘Foxy Lady’ is in the process of making bulbils — dozens, maybe hundreds. I was going to include a few photos in my last This and that post , but I decided to write a separate piece so I can dive a bit deeper into the mystery and marvel that are bulbils. Bulbils forming on the flower stalk of my Mangave ‘Foxy Lady’ Bulbils are baby plants, genetically identical to the parent, that form directly on the flower stalk (aka inflorescence). Often they develop the beginnings of roots (called root primordia) while still attached. In nature, when the bulbil-laden flower stalk eventually falls over or the bulbils are dislodged by wind or wildlife, they quickly take root and begin growing as independent plants. Bulbils are rare in the wider plant kingdom, but some agave species (as well as most furcraeas and certain yuccas) produce bulbils as a brilliant evolutionary insurance policy. The reason is simple: Most agaves are monocarpic, meaning they flower only once at the end of thei...

Except for a brief heatwave, the weather has been surprisingly mild this June. Still, we’ve reached the time of year when putting new plants in the ground isn’t the best idea. This means that my favorite things to do in the garden (like planting) are on hold until the fall. As I’ve said many times before, summer is my least favorite season, but skipping it isn’t an option, so instead of actively doing stuff, I spend more time observing. With no real projects on the horizon, I’ll probably have more This and that type posts than usual. I actually like them because I can talk about things that wouldn’t necessarily warrant a dedicated post. So, in no particular order.... ALIEN This new arm coming out on this San Pedro cactus reminds me a lot of the chestburster scene in the movie Alien : San Pedro cactus Five days later TRY TRY AGAIN Lewisias are succulents native to dry rocky slopes in subalpine regions of the Western U.S. They’re one of the few succulent genera native to California, an...